A Second Chance
by Oddchamp
Summary: Dimentio makes a shady deal with Queen Jaydees, allowing him to return to the world of the living- with certain conditions. Meanwhile, Luigi takes a trip to the Beanbean Kingdom. (Spelling and grammar errors were fixed by user Spacedimentio! Please read their stuff, it's awesome!)
1. Chapter 1

It was a warm, sunshine filled day in the Mushroom Kingdom, as it almost always was. _The perfect day for a walk in the woods_! Luigi thought to himself as he strolled along the path. He was constantly thankful for the forest surrounding his and Mario's house. Although it was filled to the brim with all sorts of weird and sometimes terrifying creatures, when you ignored that fact, it was one of the most peaceful places you could go for miles.

He heard a loud rustling from a nearby bush. _Probably just a goomba or crazee dayzee or something_. He thought, uninterested. "If you're planning on sneaking up on me, you've already failed," he announced to whoever was making the noise, then continued on.

He stopped in his tracks when he heard a whisper. It almost sounded like someone was calling his name. He shook himself and kept going. He heard it again, more distinct this time: "Mr. L…"

"T-that's not my name!" he yelled, almost out of reflex. He turned on his heel, intent on going home before this got too weird.

The whispering voice laughed, a beautiful and harmonious laugh that at the same time was like nails on a chalkboard. "Don't leave yet…" **it** said, becoming ever more distinct and loud. The trees at the end of the path fell and twisted together like melted steel, blocking the path. The same thing happened to the other side of the visible path. "We haven't even had fun!"

Luigi dropped into a crouch, then jumped from that point over the treetops, and landed on the other side of the blockade. He then ran as fast as he could down the path, panting heavily. A tree's root wrapped around his ankle and pulled it out from under him. He gasped, the wind knocked out **of** him. He turned what he could of his body over so he was on his back and tugged at his encased leg, but the wood only wrapped around it tighter.

"Oh, come now, Mr. L," the voice said from behind him. Luigi whipped his head around and saw a face he had hoped to never see again. "Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

"Dimentio **,"** Luigi gasped.

The magician smiled his regular smug, self-satisfied smile. He looked exactly the same as when they had first met, with the exception of one difference: he was monochromatically blue. His purples and yellows had faded so he looked like a photo that had been in the sun too long. He was lying on the ground, on his stomach **,** with one of his detached hands holding his head up. "Oh, you even remember my name!" He seemed to hover, not quite touching the ground. "It's as if you're an amnesiac meeting his wife again! How exciting."

Luigi tried to back away from him. "W-what are you doing here?! I thought your game ended!" The tree root twisted higher up his leg, slowly but still noticeably, leaving splinters and sawdust inits wake.

"Oh, we all have our continues, don't we now?" Dimentio answered nonchalantly.

"Not people like you! Queen Jaydes would never let a soul like you come back to life **,"** he growled.

Dimentio laughed. "You must not know **.** Her highness loves a good deal. Haven't you ever heard the phrase 'a deal with the devil'? Or do you live under a rock?"

Ignoring the insult, Luigi asked, "A deal? What _deal_ did you make?"

"Oh, a simple one." He looked at his translucent blue hand, and Luigi could have sworn he shuddered. "If a certain living being remembered me for three months, I wouldn't be punished anymore, but I would still be stuck in the Underwhere. If that same being continued to remember me for another three months, I would be free to go to the living world, but with a catch: it would beonly as a ghost."

 _That explains his sudden change in appearance **,**_ Luigi deduced.

"If I could haunt the same being for three months, then I would come back to life! And guess who I chose."

Luigi's eyes widened. "M-me. You chose me."

Dimentio leaned in close to him. Waves of cold came off of him. "Correct **,"** he whispered.

The tree root released Luigi's leg. "That's all I wanted to-" The magician was cut off by Luigi **,** who got up and ran away at top speed. "Inconsiderate," he muttered.

Luigi was at the front door of his house in seconds. Once inside, he slammed the door behind himself. "Mario, something really- What are you doing?"

Mario was stuffing multiple sets of clothes and handfuls of mushrooms into **S** tuffwell, their faithful suitcase. "Peach has been kidnapped again **,"** he muttered. He was a selective mute, so Luigi was one of the only people who had heard him speak. Even then, he was very quiet. "Do you want to help?"

Luigi shuddered. "No, thanks. I've had enough adventuring for a _long_ while." He frowned. "I hate it when you go, though. It gets really quiet around here."

Mario shrugged apologetically. "I miss you too." He patted his little brother on the back. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Bye." He left without another word.

Luigi hugged his arms and sighed. "Did you already forget about me?" Dimentio asked, half in the wall, startling him.

"Gah!" Luigi shouted, and fell over. "Go away!"

"You know what's funny?" Dimentio asked, completely ignoring Luigi's annoyance (either that **,** or relishing it). "I think you're the only person who can see or hear me. I tried pestering your brother, but he didn't seem to notice me."

Luigi pushed himself off the floor. "Great. Spectacular. I'm stuck with a ghost only I can see **,** of the worst person I know."

"Oh, am I _really_ the worst-"

"Yes!"

Dimentio frowned. "Alright, fair enough." He pulled himself fully through the wall. "Well, you'd better get used to me, because I'm not leaving you alone for three months!"

"I don't think- Hold on a moment **,"** he said. He ran to his room, then came out lugging a large, dusty machine.

"What is _that_?" Dimentio asked, floating around it. "Looks like a computer."

"It's kind of like that. It's a communicator that Professor E. Gadd made **,"** he explained. "He only uses these to talk to people from far away. For some reason." He booted it up. Its blank screen slowly woke up, sputtered twice, then displayed a messaging screen. He sent a simple message: 'Are you at your main lab? I need the poltergust.'

"Poltergust?" Dimetio peered at the screen. "What's that?"

"A machine that sucks up ghosts and locks them away where they can't bother anyone,"Luigi explained, a tad smugly.

The professor responded, 'No. I will be doing research somewhere far away for three months.'

Luigi's eyes widened. 'Can you give me the key code to your lab at least?' he asked, typing rapidly. He looked at Dimentio **,** who had a smug grin.

'No. I don't give the key code to anyone **,** ' E. Gadd answered. 'Some things in there are absolutely top secret, and if they fell into the wrong hands **,** they could cause a disaster.'

Dimentio laughed out loud. "Nice try, Mr. L, but the odds are in my favor today!" He slapped him on the back. "Looks like we'll be together for longer than you thought."


	2. Chapter 2

Since there was no use in keeping it out, Luigi put the communicator back in **its** box in his room. He sighed, looking out the window.

"Hey **,"** Dimentio whispered, right behind him.

Luigi nearly jumped out of his skin. "Ah!" He fell into the wall in front of him. "Don't do that! You're gonna give me a heart attack!"

Dimentio smirked, leaning against the wall. "Oh, poor Mr. L. Such a scaredy cat!" he crooned.

"That's not my name!" Luigi snapped. He tried to punch him in the face, but his fist went straight through. He yanked his hand back, shivering. "God, that's cold!"

Dimentio frowned and rubbed his face, apparently uncomfortable. "Ugh, if it makes you feel better, that wasn't great for me either."

"Good **,"** Luigi murmured. He straightened himself. "Go away."

"I can't, really. You know, have to haunt you and all **,"** Dimentio said. He shrugged. "Besides, why would I want to? You're hilarious!"

Luigi balled his fists, but didn't throw any hits. "I don't care! Do you think I want you alive?"

Dimentio laughed. "Wow, someone's getting _angry_. I'm actually shocked," he teased. "I mean, for someone's who practically afraid of everything-"

" _I am not_!" Luigi shouted. "I'm not afraid, I'm just careful." He took a deep breath. "I hate it when people hurt themselves due to carelessness. I don't want to end up like that." He glared at Dimentio. "Like you."

"I wasn't careless. Those _heroes_ were the reason I failed. If not for them, I would have been successful," he muttered. "You should know that better than anyone else."

Luigi sighed. "Just. Leave me alone. I don't want to be the reason you come back. It was hard enough to destroy you the first time, and I couldn't even help."

Dimentio stopped leaning on the wall. "Oh, that's not so bad. I mean, their quest was futile anyways."

"What… What do you mean?"

"Have you seen that group? They hardly work together, and that was only one time. Do you think they would really have the patience to cooperate a second time?" Suddenly he was behind Luigi. "Besides, we had _you_. Even if they tried, if we had you the entire time, they would have failed."

Luigi could hardly move because of the cold. "T-that's not true. Mario's been off on adventures plenty of times without me. They could have pulled together."

"That's not the point. You see, Mr. L, _you_ are the one who controls that turn in the road **,"** He explained, his voice a whisper. "I think, personally, if we had time to explain that to you, you would have just joined us willingly."

Luigi pulled himself away from Dimentio. "Shut up! I wouldn't do something like that. Also, stop touching me. Do you even know how creepy that is?"

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't dear man in green **,"** Dimentio sighed dramatically.

"Why not?"

Dimentio smirked. "I don't want to. I think the way you seize up in terror is adorable."

"I'll punch you again!" Luigi threatened. "It'd be worth the chill."

"Alright, alright, calm down!" Dimentio said, spreading his palms. "I won't touch you… for a bit."

The next few hours were what consisted of that "bit". Luigi tried to go about his normal day, and Dimentio was a general pest. Soon, it was sunset, and Luigi sat outside to try and get some peace.

"Why is your life so _boring_ , Mr. L?" Dimentio asked, sitting next to him. "Don't you get tired of the monotony?"

"First of all, that's not my name. Second, it's not boring, it's peaceful **,"** Luigi said, grinding his teeth. "Why did you choose to haunt _me_ of all people? Why not Mario? Why not Count-Blumiere?"

Dimentio was silent, and seemingly sober underneath his smiling expression. "Because…" He thought for a minute. "You're easy to scare!" he said cheerfully.

Something didn't seem right. "That's not the reason. Are you hiding something?" Luigi demanded. He sighed. "Oh, who am I kidding? You're a box of mysteries."

There was more silence as the two watched the sunset. It was like gourmet raspberry sherbert, with its magenta encasing the yellow that was the sun and clouds. The warmth of the evening seeming to counteract the chill that the ghost oozed. It was the perfect autum weather: just cool enough to wear long sleeves and pants, but not cold enough to need a jacket.

Luigi was startled by the sudden cold assaulting his arm. He looked over and saw Dimentio leaning on him, still looking at the sunset with half-lidded eyes. "W-what are you doing?" he asked. When he didn't respond, Luigi just sat there, slightly uncomfortable. _It's kinda cute_ , _in a way,_ he thought. Once he was used to the chill, he was able to just sit there peacefully. _What a weird day_.

He blinked, and suddenly it was night. His arm felt like it was on fire. He gasped and pulled it back, causing Dimentio to gasp and fall over onto his lap. Or, rather, through his legs and the porch and onto the ground.

Luigi rubbed his arm, trying to get some warmth back into it. "Gah! I must have fallen asleep!" he decided. "Why were you leaning on me?!" he suddenly demanded.

"I- You-" Dimentio sputtered, his face turning bluer than before. _Is he blushing_? Luigi wondered. The magician collected himself, and smiled again. "Why do you think, Mr. L?"

Luigi stared at him with a blank expression. "To be a pest. Yeah, right," he scoffed. "That's why you're all flustered."

"I am not flustered **,"** Dimentio said with surprising calmness. "I was merely confused because I had also fallen asleep." He floated up through the porch's floor boards and hovered above them. "I'm not the kind to get flustered from awkward accidents."

"…I'm going to bed **,"** Luigi said, rolling his eyes. "If I wake up with a cold spot _anywhere,_ I'm blaming you, so don't try anything funny."


	3. Chapter 3

Luigi woke slowly, reluctant to get up. When he opened his eyes, Dimentio was floating inches above his face. "Gah!" he shouted, and almost fell off his bed. That would have been especially terrible considering he shared a bunkbed with Mario, and he slept on top. "Were you up there all night?!" he asked, breathing heavily.

"No. Only for a few minutes **,"** Dimentio said. "You've got mail, by the way."

Luigi slowly got down from his bunk, got dressed, then got the mail. Mostly the usual advertisements and junk mail( **S** eriously? Who sends ads to the middle of the woods?), but there was also a green envelope. It was addressed to Luigi, from Prince Peasley of the Beanbean Kingdom. Luigi's morning grogginess evaporated and a grin spread across his face as he opened the letter. It was long and very detailed, but the short of the message was this: "I miss you, please come visit soon."

"Who's this?" Dimentio asked, looking at the envelope on the table. "A prince! How much royalty do you know, Mr. L?" he asked.

"Um…" Luigi counted on his fingers. "If you include Bowser and Bowser Jr **.** … Plus Princess Eclair… But not including the space ambassador… Seven."

Dimentio only looked shocked for a brief moment. "Oh, really? How bizzare."

"Not really. I don't know many of them personally, and a lot of them have tried to kill me at one point **,"** Luigi pointed out. "Not only that, but most of them ignore me.

"On the other hand, Mario's never met Eclair and I know Prince Peasley and Queen Bean better than him," he added to his own point. "Eh. A trade off, I guess."

Dimentio looked over Luigi's shoulder at the letter. "Who does this man think he is?" he muttered.

"…My friend?" Luigi answered, scooting away from him. "What's wrong?"

Dimentio glanced back at him. "Nothing. He just seems a tad pompous. Not the kind of fellow I expected you to spend your time with." He floated back and yawned. "So, what are you going to do with this day, man in green?"

"Well, I might get ready for a visit with the prince. I mean, it's not like I have anything better to do." He glanced at Dimentio. "Not that you care, though."

"It's not like I've got a wide range of things to attend to, Mr. L **,"** Dimentio said. "You're my main interest right now."

Luigi rolled his eyes. "You could have cut that sentence nearly in half by saying 'Not like I have anything better to do'. You're not fooling anyone with your fancy language."

"I'm not trying to fool anyone, I just prefer to use longer words **,"** Dimentio said, somewhat defensively. "Not every move I make is an attempt to belittle someone."

 _Sure seems like it,_ Luigi thought, but held his tongue. "Anyway, I think I'll tell Pea- The prince I'm visiting before I start packing."

"Why don't you email him? Seems like it would be much easier than all this letter writing nonsense **,"** Dimentio asked.

"Let's just say that the Beanbean Kingdom isn't as…advanced as the Mushroom Kingdom **,"** Luigi said. "Ever since this one thing happened, they didn't trust anything with magic, so you can only imagine how they'd react to computers. Not only that, but have you _seen_ the mail system here? It's amazingly fast."

As Luigi got up and started searching around the house for some kind of stationary, Dimentio stared at him and floated up close to him. He didn't say much, but kept his constant smile on his mask. When Luigi finally started writing, Dimentio sat on the table and watched. "Your handwriting is much neater than I thought it would be."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luigi muttered, preoccupied.

"Nothing. Just thought you would have much sloppier writing," he said.

After that, Dimentio fell silent again. Once Luigi had finished the letter, he put it in the mailbox and put the flag up on it. Before he had even gotten inside **,** a mail Paratroopa came and grabbed the letter. After he got inside, Luigi said, "See? It's like they're trained to see those things get put in there."

"That is rather strange **,"** Dimentio admitted. "Your world is very odd. It's so…peaceful."

Luigi laughed. "Really? When your nation's princess gets kidnapped once a week and the world nearly coming to an end is almost **an** annual event? Peaceful, yeah, sure."

Dimentio scoffed. "That doesn't even begin to describe the chaos of where I come from. But, that's a story for another day."

Luigi shook his head. _This guy thinks he's such hot shit_. "You know, you're a lot less threatening when you just follow me around and be mildly sassy."

"Not threatening?!" Dimentio demanded, teleporting inches from Luigi's face. "Do you remember everything I've done to you? All the pain I've put you through? Have you really forgotten all of that?!"

"No, most of that happened while I was brainwashed **,"** Luigi said, feeling courageous. "I'm not afraid of you. You're just a ghost. I've dealt with ghosts worse than you!"

Dimentio suddenly grabbed Luigi by the neck and lifted him off the ground. "You keep quiet! I am much worse than any ghost you've ever **faced** , man in green. Just because you can't remember what I've done to you, doesn't mean it didn't happen." He smirked. "In fact, I think I'll show you what happened!" Dimentio snapped his fingers.

It all came back. Every moment of being Mr. L, being part of Super Dimentio, everything. The only sensation was complete numbness, then a far away feeling of falling, then hitting the ground. He felt like he was three people at once.

"I-I'm Luigi- No, no, I'm Mr. L, loyal servant to Count- I am Super Dimentio!" he muttered under his breath. He felt like his entire being was coming undone. "I'm Mario's- Worst enemy- Destroyer- Brother!" Every time he had a shred of identity in his grasp, it slipped away and was replaced with another. His knees buckled, and he hit the floor, almost unable to move. His heart was beating unevenly and out of time, like a constant heart attack. "The green thunder- Destroyer of worlds- A hero!"

He heard someone say something, but it sounded far away. Then he blacked out.

Luigi woke up with a headache, and didn't open his eyes for a while. When he did, he **(-** was **-)** found he was sitting up in one of the chairs. His head was lolled back, and when he tried to move his head, he found that his neck was extremely stiff. Groaning, he forced himself to lean forward at least. He saw that Dimentio was sitting across from him, looking down and away, as if in shame.

Before Luigi said anything Dimentio muttered something. Luigi couldn't hear it. "What was that?" His voice was hoarse.

Dimentio snapped his head up and scowled. "Oh, you've recovered. Shocking."

"You… You helped me. You got me off of the floor **,"** Luigi said.

"So what if I did?!" he snapped. "I didn't want you to _die_. Then I couldn't haunt you." He put his hands in what would have been an arms-crossed position, if he had had arms, and looked away again. _He doesn't seem to be really angry,_ Luigi thought.

"Don't you have some packing to do? Going off **to** see some prince **?** "

"Oh, yeah," he muttered. He got up slowly and unsteadily.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Luigi stood at the door to his house with his suitcase. It wasn't anything special like Stuffwell, but it worked.

"Okay, Dimentio, since I'm going to be around other people a lot for a week, you're gonna need to keep things on the down low, otherwise people are gonna think I'm crazy. You got that?" Luigi ordered.

"Sure. Fine **,"** Dimentio said. He seemed to be more downcast after yesterday. _This guy's an emotional rollercoaster,_ Luigi thought.

"Alright," Luigi said. He picked up his suitcase and headed out.

He walked out to a pile of leaves and scattered them, revealing a warp pipe with a piece of ply wood on the top. They kept the pipe covered to keep other warp users from coming to their house. It wasn't very pleasant to get hit on the head with ply wood if you didn't expect it, and it sometimes fooled people into thinking it was closed off.

Luigi glanced back at Dimentio, who was just floating behind him wordlessly. _All this quiet is kind of creeping me out,_ he thought. He shuddered and jumped down the warp pipe, leaving the ply wood on top of it.

The warp pipe went to a place outside of Toad Town, which had a great view of the castle. It was about half a mile from the Royal Mushroom Airport, but Luigi was used to longer walks on adventures he went on with Mario.

 _Mario_ … Luigi hoped his brother was doing alright. He hated being alone when Mario was gone, but he hated the worrying more. He knew that he usually did fine, but one mistake without a one-up at hand, and he would be done. Mario was usually careful, but when he got angry enough, he couldbe reckless. It was terrifying to see his brother endanger himself like that, and if no one was able to stop him from getting himself killed…

"What's with that look?" Dimentio asked, floating next to Luigi as he walked. "Wait, you can't answer me." Suddenly, Dimentio smiled again. "Oh, that's hilarious! I can bother you all I want without retaliation! Ahahaha!" He glowed brighter, so bright it was noticeable in the daylight.

"Good to see you're chipper **,"** Luigi muttered.

Many hours later, Luigi's flight arrived at the Beanbean Airport. It was literally the only airport in the entire kingdom, and was in the capital city. Dimentio had spent the entire flight knocking things over and harassing flight attendants (sometimes violently). Luigi, for some reason, had felt some kind of second-hand embarrassment for him. _I've never seen him act more like a child **,**_ Luigi thought. _I guess he doesn't really care what I think_.

When Luigi got off the plane, Dimentio stretched his arms and legs dramatically. "Like a bird free from a cage, I am able to fly again!" he said. "Are you sure it wouldn't have been better to have walked? I definitely would have preferred that."

Luigi rolled his eyes. After getting his suitcase from the baggage claim, he swiftly left the airport and tried to find a taxi. "God, they all seem to be avoiding me," he muttered.

"Mr. L? This strange man has been following you since baggage claim **,"** Dimentio said.

"Huh?" Luigi turned his head slowly.

"The man with the large coat, wearing a scarf covering his mouth. His hair is tied up under a bandanna," Dimentio described, pointing.

 _How did I not notice this guy_?! Luigi thought, shocked. The man was definitely beanish, and was definitely staring at him. Luigi turned away and tried to flag down a cab faster. "He's getting closer **,"** Dimentio said.

Luigi turned around and looked at the man who was now right behind him. "Can I help- Gah!" He yelped as he was suddenly pulled through the crowd of people in to an alley. "Hey, hey, hey!" He pushed the man's hand off of him. "Just what do you-"

The man put a finger to his lips. In the distance he heard some police officers cry, "Over there, I saw him!"

"They're after us," the man said, in a deep voice that seemed false. "Come with me."

Luigi didn't have much choice, as the man grabbed his hand and started running at full speed. "Who are you?! What's happening?!" he yelled as he ran behind the man, almost unable to keep up.

"Oh, this is exciting!" Dimentio exclaimed. He rubbed his hands together as he floated at high speed. "When you get a chance, take off his scarf!" Luigi made an incredulous face at him to convey his emotions instead of speech. "Take it off, take it off, take it off!"

Officers stopped them at the end of the alleyway, so the strange man turned down another way to avoid them. "Who are you?!" Luigi yelled again. The man didn't answer.

The officers were closing in from behind, and there was only a dead end ahead. The man stopped, and Luigi almost bumped into him. He used this oppurtunity to rip off the scarf he was wearing. "Who are- Prince Peasley?!"

The unobscured face looking back at him was that of the prince of the Beanbean kingdom. For a second, he looked bewildered. Then, he cracked a smile. "Oh, Luigi, you should see the look on your face!" He stopped using his false deep voice and laughed his wonderful, joyful laugh.

As the officers approached, Peasley took his hair down, and flipped it. "Alright, you've caught me!" he said, shrugging. "Take me away, throw me into the dungeon again!" he sighed dramatically.

"Your Highness, you know we only keep you in the palace for your safety," one of the officers sighed wearily. "And your constant escapes waste time that could be spent helping citizens!"

Peasley shrugged. "Nothing ever happens here. Mostly just petty crime. You know that!"

"…What's going on?" Luigi asked, finally.

"Oh, I'll explain once we get to the palace," Peasley said. "Gosh, it's hot!" He took off the large coat he had been wearing, revealing a tank top and pants that went to his knees. _Oh no, he's cute **,**_ Luigi thought, blushing slightly.

"Though he may be pompous, I think I like this kid's sense of humor!" Dimentio said. "What's that look for? You know what, forget I asked."

"Shall we head back now, Your Highness?" the leading officer asked.

"Yes, we might as well," Peasley said, shrugging.

Peasley walked behind the group of officers with Luigi. This procession got a lot of attention from citizens, to the displeasure of both. Various newswriters, beanish or not, tried to snap pictures, or get their attention. "I'm sorry," Peasley muttered, hiding his face with his hands.

"It's fine **,"** Luigi muttered back. "I get it a lot when I'm with Princess Peach and Mario." Peasley looked like he wanted to say something else, but didn't.

"Like hell you do **,"** Dimentio said, surprising Luigi. Coincidentally, Peasley also looked that way quickly.

Once they had reached the palace, Peasley almost ran from the entrance all the way to his room, and Luigi had some difficulty keeping up. After Luigi had followed him in, Peasley slammed the door.

"I am so sick it! All I want is to pick my friend up from the airport, and they won't even let me do that! 'Oh, Your Highness, you can't go out without an escort, the parliament-' Well, the parliament can go-" He noticed Luigi staring at him with concern. He sighed. "My apologies. I'm very frustrated."

"It-it's fine. You said you were going to explain about that when we got here…?" Luigi prompted.

"Oh, yes." He cleared his throat. "During your and Mario's latest adventure- At least, I assume you were gone, you didn't respond to my letters,- there was this _enormous_ void in the sky. Like a hole in the space/time continuum itself! Because no one knew what to do about it, the entire country- yours _and_ mine, mind you,- fell into chaos. Since the princess was gone, we had to assist your police force in keeping the peace. Multiple attempts on my mother and I's lives were made-"

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on a second!" Luigi interrupted. "People tried to _kill_ you?!"

"…Yes," Peasley admitted. "It's not like it's the first time…"

"But, you shouldn't be so casual about that kind of thing!" Luigi said. "When I hear about that kind of thing, it makes me worry."

Peasley looked at the floor. "You shouldn't worry about me. I can do fine on my own."

Without waiting for a reply, Peasley continued. "Anyway, this caused quite a panic among the parliament, so they issued a new order: Any heir to the throne- I.E. _me –_ is not to leave the Castle without a guard." He sighed. "I hate it. I know it's for my safety, but what if I want to do something on my own? I have my own weapons, and I know how to do hand to hand combat!"

"Oh, please **,"** Dimentio said, floating around the room. "Your weapons can't save you from magic or bullets."

Luigi scowled slightly at Dimentio. _That's not the point_ … Luigi thought defensively.

"Is something wrong?" Peasley asked. "You look upset."

"Oh, nothing! Just jet-lagged," Luigi lied, smiling.

"Nice save **,"** Dimentio said sarcastically.

"Oh, I should probably let you unpack and get set up! Oh, I feel so selfish!" Peasley laughed nervously. "I hope you don't mind sharing a room with me, my mother doesn't like it when I use the guest room… Though it _is_ for _guests_ , no matter what class." He muttered the last part. "I had some servants set my room to better suit two people." He gestured to the room in general.

Instead of the room having one bed, it had two smaller ones and a curtain in between the two of them. There were two chests of drawers and a screen to change behind. "I hope it's alright" Peasley said in a tone that suggested he knew it would be.

"It's great!" Luigi said, setting down his suitcase by the door. "Don't worry. I'm absolutely fine with it."

Peasley grinned widely. "Good!"


	5. Chapter 5

Luigi had a great week with Peasley. It had mostly been mundane (even with Dimentio around, shockingly enough), up until the last day, but a few interesting things had happened. The following had occurred:

On one day while Peasley was gone, Dimentio discovered he could possess people. He told Luigi this by attacking him in the body of a servant, then laughing his ass off.

Sometimes when Dimentio spoke,Peasley seemed to be able to hear him. (For example, when he insulted him, Peasley would clench his fists, or when he got really close, Peasley would shudder.)

Peasley got intoan argument with his mother for not wearing "proper" clothing. His reasoning was **:** "It's too hot to wear full lengths pants, are you mad?!" Luigi didn't agree entirely, but he supported him anyways. From that day on, he wore formal clothing with his sword at his side.

On the last day of his trip, Luigi was suddenly confronted by Peasley. "I know this is an odd and sudden question, but do you believe in the paranormal?" He stopped himself. "Of course you do, you've fought hundreds of them, why wouldn't you?" he muttered to himself.

"Why do you ask?" Luigi asked.

"Oh, this is interesting~" Dimentio said, sliding himself to be right next to Luigi. He shivered.

"I've been hearing someone talk… I can't see them, but I can definitely hear them. They're always talking to you, if not to themselves… Or mocking me." He rolled his eyes. "They call you Mr. L."

Luigi's eyes widened, and his jaw slightly dropped. He glanced quickly at Dimentio. He was grinning from ear to ear (If he had ears, that is. _Seriously, how many body parts is this guy missing_? Luigi thought.). "Uh… Are you being serious?"

Peasley nodded vigorously. "You don't think I'm crazy, do you?" he asked nervously.

"No!" Luigi hugged Peasley tightly. "Oh, god, no!" He laughed loudly, and full of relief. "You have no idea how much this means to me!"

"…I'm not sure I understand," Peasley said.

After a bit more weary laughter and even a couple sobs, Luigi detached himself from Peasley. He explained who Dimentio was and the events that lead to them meeting again, to his own understanding. At the beginning, Peasley looked at him with mere confusion. Then, as the story progressed, his face became more and more filled with rage until he composed himself at the end.

"I…see. Is that why you haven't responded to my letters for a while?" Peasley asked. Luigi nodded guiltily. "And tell me, if you can see him, where is he in relation to me?"

"Behind my left shoulder **,"** Luigi said. "Why do you-"

" _I'll kill you again, you paranormal bastard_!" Peasley cried, grabbing his sword and thrusting it into Dimentio's chest with shocking accuracy. Luigi gasped and fell over.

Dimentio looked down at the sword, with real fear on his mask. He blinked twice, then smiled again. "Did you really think that would work, kid?" he asked. "I'm a ghost, you can't kill me."

Peasley pulled the sword back and composed himself. "Alright, I apologize, I shouldn't have let my emotions get the best of me." He looked down at Luigi. "Ah, do you need some help?"

Luigi stared for a moment. He couldn't remember the last time someone besides Mario had stood up for him that strongly. _What a hero_ … Luigi thought. "Uh, sure. Yeah." Peasley helped him up.

"Can I talk to you privately for a second?" Peasley asked. Luigi nodded.

"Oh, conspiring against me? How _rude_ **,"** Dimentio said. "Oh, well. Do what you must." Luigi rolled his eyes. By now, he had gotten used to Dimentio's remarks, plus with the memories of being Mr. L, it felt normal.

Peasley pulled him off to the far side of the room and said quietly **,** "I have an idea. I think, if we can convince this guy that the current worlds aren't so bad, and that life here is actually pretty neat, he may not try to destroy everything."

"Are you sure? I mean, I get what you're saying, but are you sure it'll work?" Luigi asked, also quietly. He looked at Dimentio, then back at Peasley. "I think he's past the point of no return."

Peasley gently grabbed Luigi's shoulders and made intense eye contact with him. "Listen. If that Count Bleck guy you mentioned could turn around, anyone can." He cracked a smile. "Besides, if that doesn't work out, swords _do_ work on the living." He winked.

Luigi smiled back. "Alright, we'll give it a shot."

"Hey, Dimentio!" Luigi said at regular volume. "Come over here."

"Have you finished plotting against me?" Dimentio said balefully.

Luigi groaned. "Just get over here."

Dimentio floated over in front of them. "Yes?"

"We've decided we're going to give you a second chance **,** " Peasley announced. "We're going to let you prove that you can be a good person. If you can do that, we'll let you live again. However, if you show any signs of hostility–" He moved his sword so fast that **,** if you had blinked **,** you would have missed **him** putting the tip of the blade less than an inch from Dimentio's face. Due to not being able to see where he was, Peasley was pointing the blade at Dimentio's forehead, but no one pointed that out. "I'm sure you understand, being as intelligent as you are."

Dimentio looked down at the sword tip, and if he had visible pupils ( _Another thing he doesn't have_ … Luigi thought), they would have been crossed in a somewhat silly looking manner. "I understand," he said calmly. "I'll give it a shot. Though, I don't see much in this world worth keeping."

"…Not a great start, but I'm willing to let that comment go," Peasley said, sheathing his sword.

"Hold on a tick **,"** Dimentio said, pushing Luigi out of the way, looking out the window behind them. "What the hell is that?" he asked.

Luigi looked where Dimentio was looking. "Airships! It's a raid!" Luigi exclaimed.

"What?!" Peasley poked his head out of the window, forcing the back of Luigi's head to overlap with Dimentio's face. "Oh, so funny. Literal _air ships_. And none but the Koopa King's doing!" He growled. "Puns are _our_ thing, you unfunny bastards!" He shook a fist at the ships.

Peasley pulled himself back. He ran to the door of his room and yelled as loud as he could, " _Everyone needs to evacuate right now_! _We are under attack from King Bowser_!"

He might of said more, but it was lost in the sound of a missile striking the ground near the castle. "Luigi, we need to leave!" Dimentio shouted with suprising force. "It's not safe for you here!"

"You… **c** alled me Luigi…" Luigi said in shock and awe.

Dimentio blinked, then shook his head. "Does it matter?! We need to-" He was interrupted by another missile. The sound was so loud it made Luigi's ears ring and the force made the castle shake.

"They keep missing **,"** Luigi said, looking at the ground. He could barely see anything because of the smoke. "I don't think they're trying to hit us."

"Oh, really?" Dimentio said sarcastically. "They send an air raid to attack, but don't try to make a hit-"

"I'm saying, they're not using missiles to attack the castle itself! I'm not sure they're even missiles," Luigi said, trying to peer through the smoke.

A third missile struck. The castle shook again, and tile fell from the ceiling. He could hear people screaming from below. He could only imagine the terror the citizens were feeling. "Luigi, we need to leave immediately!" Dimentio yelled. "If you don't, you might die!"

"So what?!" Luigi cried, suddenly angry. "Why do you care? You only want to haunt me!"

"That's not-" A fourth missile interrupted him. "That's not the only reason!" Dimentio yelled.

"Then what?!" Luigi demanded. Then, the castle shook again, and the floor tilted at a forty-five degree angle. Luigi fell backwards, and almost out the window. "Wa-wa-wa-wa-whoa!" He gripped the window frame, then lost his grip and fell through. "Help me!" he screamed.

Dimentio grabbed his arm with both hands, and struggled to pull him through. His ghostly body seemed to flicker in and out of existence, and with each time he disappeared, Luigi slid further out of his grasp. "Peasley, I need assistance! Your friend's about to-" Dimentio began.

The castle was thrown the other way, and Luigi fell into Dimentio. For a second, he blacked out. Then he came to his senses, and Dimentio was floating in front of him, the castle still tilted. "Oh, I didn't mean to do that, I-"

"Do what?" Luigi groaned. All of his joints felt like rubber. "What happened?"

"You don't know? When you hit the wall at the same time I did, I possessed you on accident…" he explained.

 _What is going on with this guy_? _He's being so honest_ … _And so caring_ … Luigi thought. "I didn't even notice! I just blacked out for a few seconds **,"** he reassured.

"What is happening?!" Peasley cried from outside the door. "I keep falling down the stairs!" He leaned on the door frame for dear life.

Luigi crawled towards the window. He looked outside, coughing a few times due to the smoke. The smoke seemed to be lowering… _No_ , _that can't be it_. He shook his head. That meant one thing. "I think we're being lifted up **,"** Luigi said, confused.

The castle leveled itself, tossing everyone forward. Luigi almost fell out of the window again, but was able to catch himself on the frame. He slowly pulled himself back into the castle, sighing in relief.

"Being lifted? How?" Peasley asked. He tried to walk, but fell over. "Ouch, crap!" he groaned. "I think I twisted something when I fell down the stairs… One of the times…"

"Oh, no!" Luigi helped the prince up and over **onto** one of the beds.

Peasley scowled at his injured leg. "This isn't good. I need to protect my people. There are still people who didn't evacuate."

"You can't go anywhere like this. We need to get your leg stiffened or something **,"** Luigi insisted. "You'll only make it worse if you try to move."

"I know, but-"

"Someone's gotten off of the airship and entered the castle **,"** Dimentio interrupted. "And we have definitely been taken up into the air."

Peasley's eyes widened. "The king!" He grabbed his sword and stood up. He winced, but stayed in place. "I must teach that bastard he can't push us around like this."

"Peasley, don't!" Luigi pleaded.

"I must," Peasley said, giving Luigi a cold stare. "I know it may seem mad, but I must teach that koopa a lesson." He winced as he took a step. "Stay here. I don't think they know you're here, so it'll be safer that way."

"No." Luigi stood up and looked him in the eye. "I'm going to watch you. If anything bad happens, I'm intervening."

"Don't. I admire your bravery, but if they think for a second that we can't handle ourselves without your help…" Peasley shook his head and smiled. "Listen, Luigi, if anything happens to me, I want you to know-"

" _Prince Peasley_!" thundered a voice from below. " _Face me_!"

Peasley's eyes narrowed in quiet determination, and **,** paired with his smile, he was frightening, but somewhat attractive at the same time. "Well, I can't stay long. I've got an invitation." He hugged Luigi quickly. It was unexpected, and so, he didn't have time to reactby the time Peasley let go. The prince limped out the door and down the stairs, but did it with such confidence you wouldn't have believed he was injured.

"Oh, how brave he is, going to his death **,"** Dimentio said nonchalantly.

Luigi ignored Dimentio and waited for Peasley to be out of sight, then followed where he had gone. _I don't care about his pride,_ he thought. _This is for his own good_. Dimentio quietly followed, not saying a word.

At the entrance hall, Luigi stopped so he was just out of sight. He saw Bowser himself, staring down Peasley, who had drawn his sword. Peasley was talking, but not loud enough for Luigi to hear. The queen was unconcious on the floor. Bowser had some of his koopas behind him in full metal armor, holding spears. Something was off about Bowser, though. He was holding a magikoopa's staff, but that wasn't the only odd thing. _Did he get a hair cut or something_? he thought.

Dimentio laughed suddenly, startling Luigi. "What a fool!" Dimentio said. "Using magic to make himself bigger. Ridiculous."

"Huh?" Luigi whispered. "What you going on about now?"

"You mentioned that the king had a son, yes?" Dimentio said. "Well, that's him, just using some spell to make himself bigger, and possibly more powerful."

"Oh, so it's just Bowser Jr." Luigi smirked, then frowned again. "Then, what's he doing with Bowser's airships?"

"Do you really expect me to know-"

"Shhh! I'm trying to listen to what they're saying!" Luigi hissed.

From what he could understand, Peasley said something along the lines of, "…So leave us! You have no business trying to take over our kingdom!"

Bowser Jr. laughed. "I do whatever I want, and you weak beanish people with your gross skin can't do anything to stop me."

Peasley snarled. "You shall pay for that insult!" He raised and slashed his blade down, at an angle to decapitate.

Bowser Jr. stopped the blow with his staff, which cast a small force field in front of it. Peasley's arm ricocheted off of the force field, with enough force to knock him over. Peasley winced, but showed no other signs of pain. Before he could get up, Bowser Jr. made some kind of magic bubble around him. He made the bubble levitate, swung it around to gain momentum, then released it so that Peasley crashed into the wall so hard that tile came off of it. He didn't move other than breathe.

"He seems to be skilled in magic, unlike his father **,"** Dimentio commented, unfazed.

Luigi shook in fear. _Oh_ , _God_ , _we're fucked,_ he thought, pulling his hat down on his head.

"Oh, relax. I have an idea **,"** Dimentio said. Shockingly enough, it was a little soothing to know that _somebody_ knew what they were doing.

"R-really?" Luigi asked, lifting the brim of his hat slightly.

"Yes. Listen closely…"


	6. Chapter 6

**"** That is a terrible idea!" Luigi whispered. "In what universe would any of that be a good idea?"

"Well, can you think of anything better?" Dimentio asked. "I think it's quite good. With your physical strength and my confidence, we could defeat him."

Luigi was silent for a moment. "Okay, but I have to set up some rules." Dimentio nodded for him to continue. "First of all, no magic. Ever since the whole Cackletta turning the prince into a dragon thing, the Beanbean people have been a bit shaky on that. If you absolutely _have to_ , keep it on the down low."

"The _what_?" Dimentio tilted his head.

"Oh, yeah, Peasley was a dragon for a bit. He got better **,"** Luigi said. "Anyways, second- probably should have said this first, but I only thought of it now- no killing."

"No killing, you say. You do realize that when that kid actually grows up, he'll be a bigger problem than his father. He can do magic, and he seems to be smarter," Dimentio said.

"Yeah, but Bowser's already a violent guy. Do you want to see him coming after someone who killed his son?" Luigi said.

Dimentio sighed. "I see. You're a bit smarter than I thought."

"Last thing: Please, _try_ to keep true to my personality. That means no spontaneous poetry or anything weird like that. Or trying to over throw leaders," he asked, almost pleading. "I think that people would find it suspicious if I was suddenly a pretentious clown."

"That's a low blow, but fine. Is there anything I should know about before we do this?" Dimentio asked.

"Oh, yeah, I can use lightning. They know about that, so you can use it. Don't ask. It's a long story." Luigi sighed. "Uh, I guess you can do your thing now."

"Okay." Dimentio took a deep breath, and took possession of Luigi's body.

The first thing he took notice of was the arms. The cloth of the shirt he was wearing was surprisingly scratchy and uncomfortable. The sensation of sharing a body with Luigi was similar to being Super Dimentio, but less chaotic. The violence was still there, but that was Dimentio's modus operandi.

Dimentio felt Luigi's subconscious urging him to get a move on. He knew that he still had some control over what was happening, but only on a small level. _Okay_ , _let's give it a shot,_ he thought.

Just before he entered the main hall, he caught his own reflection. His eyes- Luigi's eyes, that is- had a purple tint in one eye and a yellow tint in the other. "Bizarre," he muttered. He touched his throat.

He shook his head and strode in to the main hall. "Hey, you!" he yelled at Bowser Jr.

Bowser Jr. looked at him and his eyes widened. "What's Mario's loser brother doing here?" he asked.

Anger flared in Dimentio's heart, but he kept his face neutral. "Are you really too stupid to remember my name? It's Luigi." He smirked. "Allow me to get straight to the point: You have attacked two members of royalty, which I'm certain is illegal in your kingdom as well as this one. Since no one else seems to be objecting, I'm going to make sure you realise the full concequences of your actions."

Bowser Jr. raised an eyebrow. "You think I care?" He turned his head towards the group of Koopas. "Take this joke out, he should be easy."

"Y-you sure, b-boss?" one of them asked. "He's Mario's brother so he-"

"I don't care!" he barked.

"O-okay," the Koopa muttered.

Before anyone could make a move, Dimentio decided it was time to test out those lightning powers. He pointed his palm towards the soldier Koopas and flashed lightning shot out of it, striking the soldier who had spoken out. Because of the metal armor and close proximity, the lighting transferred from that soldier to the entire group, killing all of them at once. _Nice_ … he thought, smirking, although he felt some kind of terror and guilt, probably from Luigi.

"You're right, that was easy!" Dimentio said. "Unfortunately, you've lost your army. But, it's not too late to leave and surrender now."

Bowser Jr. stared at the pile of dead minions, mouth agape. Then he turned back to Dimentio, scowling. "You've got guts, green guy. It's gonna be fun to see them on the ground."

Bowser Jr. shot a bolt of magic at him. Dimentio rolled out of the way, surprised. Another bolt was shot at him. He jumped over it, and was startled by how high he went in the air. What startled him more was hitting his head on the ceiling, sending him back downward. His vision was blurry for a moment, and he got dizzy. He rolled when he landed so he didn't break any bones. _That would have been nice to know about_! he thought, rubbing his head.

Dimentio stood up and slid into a natural fighting stance. "Is that all you've got?" he asked with a smirk. "I thought this was a fight!" He jumped again, and landed on Bowser Jr.'s head, but the force field prevented him from causing real damage. He rolled his eyes. _How am I supposed to defeat him without magic_? he thought. _Maybe I could break that staff_ …

Dimentio backed up a few steps, then ran up to Bowser Jr. at top speed. He jumped a few feet before the Koopa, and did a flip in the air. At the peak of the flip, he grabbed the top of the staff and brought it down with him, in a suplex-like move. The glass top shattered when it hit the ground with a loud _CRASH_.

Bowser Jr. looked down at the shattered staff in shock. "Y-you broke my staff!" he exclaimed, stating the obvious. His shock was replaced by rage. "You jerk! That thing was brand new!"

Dimentio breathed heavily. He was exhausted. He still felt nauseous from hitting the ceiling, and wondered if he had a concussion. "Ahahaha… I thought it was time someone took you down a notch," he said. His knees nearly buckled.

Bowser Jr. glared at him, about to say something **,** when his broken staff flashed bright light. When the light had dissipated, whatever spell had caused him to grow in size had worn off. Bowser Jr., back to his normal size **,** proceeded to throw a fit.

"It's not fair! You and your brother are just mean bullies!" he wailed.

Dimentio was uncertain how to react. "You… You tried to kill two rulers and take over their kingdom… and I'm the mean one. I didn't even physically hurt you," he said. _I think I'll let Luigi take over from here,_ he thought.

He left Luigi's body and floated behind him. It appeared to be good timing too, because Peasley shuffled painfully up to him. _When did he get up_? _I must have been too busy fighting to notice_ …

"I thought I told you to stay away," Peasley said, but not with anger. More like confusion. "I can't remember half of what happened before I blacked out."

"Y-you did," Luigi said. "I think you need to get to a hospital though."

"What? I'm fine-" He stumbled and grabbed onto Luigi for support. "Okay, okay, fine. But you're not looking too well either. Your head's bleeding."

Luigi's eyes widened. "It is?" He touched his forehead and looked at his glove. It had red on the fingertips now. It was also smoldering from when he had used his lightning. _Oh, god, all those dead soldiers!_ he thought, his stomach sick. It wasn't like he hadn't killed a few of Bowser's lackeys before, but the manner was just so gruesome. "I'm so sorry," he muttered.

"It's alright," Peasley muttered back. "Listen, this made me consider something. Neither of us will live forever. Life is short, especially when you live as dangerously as you do." He took a deep breath. "I think- No, I am in love with you."

"W-what?" Luigi stared at him. He felt blood rush to his face. "A-are you serious?"

"Of course. What kind of sick person would-" Peasley was interrupted by Luigi collapsing. "Gah!" He struggled to not fall and steady himself.

Peasley felt a chill down his spine. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he heard Dimentio say.


	7. Chapter 7

Peasley shivered. "What do you mean?" he muttered to Dimentio.

"You think you can do anything you want, just because you're some prince," Dimentio growled.

"I don't understand what you mean. What did I do to anger you?" he whispered. He didn't want anyone to see him talking to a ghost, so he didn't look in Dimentio's direction. He kneeled with some difficulty next to Luigi. _He's breathing. That's good,_ he thought, relieved.

He wasn't so sure about his own condition, though. He was pretty sure he had broken multiple bones, or at least fractured them when he had hit the wall. It hurt to move and talk, but he was used to keeping composure through hard things.

"What I mean is that you…" Dimentio faltered. "You-you don't really love him do you?!" he demanded.

Peasley's eyes widened. Before he could respond, a motion caught his eye. He turned his head and saw Bowser Jr. trying to run away.

"Hey!" Peasley yelled. He got up unsteadily and tried to run after him. Fortunately, the kid's legs weren't very long and he couldn't move very fast. Peasley caught up to him, and tackled him. "You think you can just leave?!" he growled.

"Get off me!" Bowser Jr. wailed.

"No! You deserve to be imprisoned. You tried to kill me and my mother, and you're not just going to get away with that!" He shakily unsheathed his sword and put it to his neck. "Don't. Move," he said menacingly. "Guards! Any guards that are still here!" he called.

A long minute passed. Then, the sound of thundering footsteps filled the entrance hall. Ten members of the royal guard entered."Your Highness! What happened to you?" one of them asked.

"That doesn't matter," Peasley said calmly. "Take this…criminal to the dungeon," he said.

"We can't. The dungeon was separated from the castle when we were lifted into the air," the guard answered nervously.

"When what- Oh, right." He thought for a moment. "To some isolated place, then." His memory was unclear, so he had almost forgotten that that had even happened.

"Alright, Your Highness." one of them said. Five of the guards grabbed Bowser Jr. and left to find some secure place.

Peasley sighed. "Do we still have the hospital wing?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Good. Take Luigi and my mother there to recover," he ordered.

"What about you, Your Highness?"

"I'm fine. Nothing some rest can't fix," he lied.

Four members of the guard went to carry out his orders. The one remaining was the captain. "You shouldn't push yourself like this," he said.

"I'm not," Peasley insisted. "I'm going to my quarters," he stated, then left.

As he expected, Dimentio followed silently. When he was sure they were alone, Peasley slumped against the wall and groaned. "You know, I don't think my relationship with Luigi - whether it turns out to be romantic or not - is your business."

Silence. "Are you even there? I can't see you. It's very cold right next to me, so I'm assuming you're here," Peasley continued, and waved vaguely to his left.

"…I am here **,** " Dimentio muttered.

"Okay." Peasley nodded. "Good to know I'm not talking to myself." He sighed. "What did I do to make you angry?"

"…I despise seeing you around him. It makes my blood boil," Dimentio growled. "The way he acts around you-"

"What, happy?" Peasley asked, sharper than he meant to.

"Well, yes!" Dimentio said. "I mean, not that his joy is a bad thing but- You and him- and-" Dimentio struggled to find words.

Peasley was uncertain how to reply. Then, a smug grin spread across his face slowly. "Are you jealous?" he asked.

There was a tense, silent moment. "No. I am not jealous. There is nothing that you have for me to envy-"

"You are! You absolutely are!" Peasley insisted. "Oh, god, that's hilarious!" He giggled. "What a cosmic joke this is! You, a powerful magician who could easily overpower me, are jealous because you can't have someone I do!" He continued to laugh, then broke into a coughing fit. After he struggled to get air, he said, "It's just so funny."

"How could you find any of this humorous?!" Dimentio demanded. "Not only are you incorrect about how I feel, but you seem to think that it's something to laugh at."

"I look at the humorous side of things. It's in my blood," Peasley said calmly. "Besides, if you weren't jealous, you wouldn't be so flustered." He sighed. "I apologize if I offended you. I just could never had predicted this twist of fate."

"I don't understand you at all. You act so…vain and pompous around your subjects **,** yet you're so humble to someone like me. You could have chosen any lovely prince to court but you are captivated by a subject who doesn't even live in your kingdom. You are so much kinder to people when you're under pressure…" Dimentio trailed off. "If he deserves anyone, he deserves you…"he whispered.

Peasley was shocked into silence. "He blushes when he talks to you," he said.


	8. Chapter 8

"…He has to wake up some time," was the first thing Luigi heard.

"Not necessarily!" another voice said, quieter than the first, as if they didn't want to be heard. "I mean, people have died during comas, and-"

"Yes, but Luigi's a strong person! He was strong enough to determine the fate of all worlds, so I think it would be a tad too ironic if he were to die from a small concussion," the first voice said.

"Small? His head was bleeding!" the person sighed. "I apologize. I've been very stressed with everything that's going on."

Luigi opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He looked around and saw that he was in some kind of hospital, with Peasley sitting by where he was lying, and Dimentio's ghost floating on his other side. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Peasley looked at him, his eyes wide. "Y-you're awake!" he exclaimed. He smiled ear to ear and tightly hugged him. "Oh, thank god!" Dimentio stayed in place, smiling as well, but with a bittersweet feeling.

Luigi sat there, unsure what to think. "Uh… You said something about a coma?" he prompted.

Peasley pulled himself back. "Oh, yes, that. You see, Luigi, when you fainted, you fell into a coma. You were asleep for a while…"

"How long is 'a while'?" Luigi asked. He peered at Peasley's face. "Do you have stubble?"

"Three weeks **,** " Dimentio said. "And yes, he does, because he's been very stubborn about leaving your side to do things such as shave and, I don't know, eat?"

"Don't talk as if you haven't worried either!" Peasley scoffed. "You've hardly left his side." He looked at the floor. "And I have eaten, mind you..." he muttered.

"I don't need to rest, I'm already dead. Besides, part of my deal with Queen Jaydes was that I would haunt him for three months. I can't stop **,** " Dimentio said.

"Wait, wait, wait, three weeks?!" Luigi interrupted. "What happened while I was out?! Are we still in the sky?"

"Yes, we are. We've been trying to get Bowser Jr. to tell us how to get us out of the air, but he won't say a thing." Peasly sighed, rubbing his eyes. "We've resorted to sending one of our messengers down and to Bowser's castle to see if he'll tell us. He should be back with news in a couple days."

"Oh. How's your mother? She was still unconscious when I last saw her **,** " Luigi asked.

"She's fine. Broke a few bones, but she's doing fine," Peasley said. "Hey, you, uh, never said whether or not you loved me back…" he said, his voice starting out at normal volume and ending quietly.

Luigi stared at him. "Oh, yeah." He felt his face get red. "I-I do love you," he said, smiling.

Peasley hugged him again, tighter. "Oh, Luigi, I'm so glad!" he said.

"Y-you're choking me **,** " Luigi groaned. "I can't breathe, Peasley."

Peasley pulled away. "Deepest apologies! I'm just…excited!" He was grinning widely again.

"Yeah, yeah, be excited **...** " Dimentio muttered. "Rub it in, why don't you?"

Peasley visibly tensed. "Ahahaha, what was that, Dimentio?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all **,** " Dimentio said, almost menacingly. "Just. Happy for you."

Luigi felt the mood in the room change. "Uh… Did anything else happen while I was in a coma?" he asked, trying to change the subject. "Anything exciting?"

"No **,** " Dimentio and Peasley said simultaneously. They held intense eye-contact. The prince was scowling while Dimentio grinned his off-putting, sardonic smile. Luigi shuddered. _What the hell happened while I was out?_ he wondered.

Peasley broke first. "Well, I really am glad you're back. If you must know, Dimentio...has been kind to me…" He muttered something that went unheard.

"That's good…" Luigi said. "Not causing too much chaos, I hope?" he said, trying for a laugh from the both of them.

"No, unless brooding is considered chaos **,** " Dimentio said with humor.

They both laughed, which turned into nervous giggling. A voice from outside the room shouted, "Your Highness! The messenger has returned!"

Peasley snapped his head to face the door, then back to Luigi with indecision in his eyes. "I-I have to go. You understand, don't you?"

"Oh, of course," Luigi said, though he didn't really believe himself. "It's important."

Peasley nodded. "Thank you." He took Luigi's hand and kissed it. "I will return shortly." He stood up and left the room.

"So, three weeks?" Luigi said. _I wonder how Mario's doing…_ he thought. His stomach suddenly twisted. "Oh, crap, Mario! I never left a note for him!" He moved his hands to pull the brim of his hat down over his eyes, but it wasn't there. He felt bandages on his head. _Where's my hat? Wait, that's not what's important right now!_ "Ugh, he doesn't know where I am, he must be so worried!" he groaned.

"I get a feeling he knows you're fine **,** " Dimentio said. "Don't worry about a thing."

"Y-yeah **,** " Luigi agreed. "Hey, why were you so weird about Peasley? I mean, you seemed, I don't know… Jealous?"

Dimentio's eyes widened. He cleared his throat before saying, "Jealousy is extremely petty, Luigi. Do you think I'd really stoop that low?"

"Well…"

"You know what? Don't answer that." Dimentio laughed. "Say, did you… Enjoy being possessed at all?"

Luigi looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Well, it wasn't bad. I mean, it was kind of fun to be sharing a mind with someone-"

"So you did!" Dimentio said, a grin spreading on his face.

"I wasn't finished **,** " Luigi said flatly. "It was fun, but, it was also a little disturbing. It was similar to being hypnotised, and you of all people should know how I feel about that." He shuddered.

Dimentio's face fell. "Oh. That's understandable."

Luigi felt a twinge of guilt. Dimentio had been, well, cruel in the past. But of all things, Luigi hated to make other people feel bad. He heard so many villains say how they had been stepped on for years and were always in the shadow of someone else and wanted to get back at the world, and it always reminded him of himself. He made it a personal standard to be nice to people, but lately it had been rough. Especially after remembering everything he had done as Mr. L... Well, not all of that was from brainwashing.

"So… You would not let me do that again, is what you're saying…" Dimentio said.

Luigi stared at him. "Dimentio… Was being able defeat Bowser Jr. not your only motivation?"

Dimentio stared back. "Well… You wouldn't understand. You… You haven't been a ghost before! I can't feel anything, not even the temperature of the room. I would savor the opportunity to be able to feel something, even pain, like a starved man given poison…" His eyeswere downcast now.

"Uh, alright," Luigi nodded. The two sat in awkward silence for a moment. "So, really, nothing?" he asked.

"Sometimes, when something goes through me, it makes me nauseous, but not much else," Dimentio said.

Peasley opened the door to the room. "Bowser has ordered that his son let us down, so the castle should be lowered momentarily." He shook his head in disbelief. "What kind of technology does he use against Mario if he just lets his son use flying ships without a second thought?" he wondered aloud.

"You'd be surprised **,** " Luigi sighed, rolling his eyes.

Peasley smiled at him, but his eyes held sadness. "You'll leave as soon as you can, I'm guessing?"

Luigi shrugged. "I don't have much reason to stay, besides being with you. Plus, you never know when Mario might need my help with something…"

"I understand…" Peasley nodded. "I just get fairly lonely without you here." He sighed. "I wish I could visit you sometimes, but I could probably never work it out."

"Why not just sneak out?" Dimentio suggested. "You're smart enough, and if you get caught, they're not going to kill you."

"W-what?! I could never…" Peasley trailed off. "Actually…" A conspiring grin spread across his face. "Well, if I were to sneak away, I might just meet you at the airport two hours after you leave. It would have to be night, of course. Not that it could happen, though. And, if we were to get away with the scheme, I might stay with you for a week." He shrugged. "If only. I guess it will have to stay a crazed hypothetical plan." He winked at Luigi, then broke into a fit of giggles.


	9. Finale

Even Peasley himself didn't know how he did it, but he snuck out of the castle. Of course, he left a note saying where he would be so that nobody thought he was kidnapped, but he wasn't sure that would prevent any panic. In any case, he was absolutely elated once he got to Luigi's house.

"I still can't believe you _actually_ did it **,** " Luigi had said multiple times.

"Determination, my love, determination **,** " Peasley would reply.

Dimentio watched on with quiet spite. One could only guess what he was thinking.

Throughout the entire week that Peasley was there, Mario was still off (or off again) rescuing the princess. Luigi was a little worried about it, but his brother almost always came out okay. And when he didn't… _Well, that hasn't happened yet,_ he thought, thankful.

Luigi couldn't worry much, however. He distracted himself by giving Peasley an unofficial tour of the Mushroom Kingdom. He knew it well enough to avoid the bad parts while still being able to show off the best. Even Dimentio was impressed by the beauty of some of the places. Luigi smirked when he noticed that.

On the morning that Peasley had to leave, the prince hardly wanted to get out of bed. "Come on, what's the harm in a few more minutes' sleep?" he muttered to Luigi.

"I don't want you to be late for your flight **,** " Luigi said. He turned over in bed to face Peasley who smiled softly, then laughed. "What's so funny?" Luigi asked, not in a mean way.

"Oh, nothing **,** " Peasley said. "It's just so bizarre how someone like me ended up with someone so wonderful like you."

"Ah, yes, once again with all of this unnecessary fluff **,** " Dimentio spat from below them (they were in Luigi's bunk). "I am filled with disgust."

"Quiet down!" Peasley laughed. "I can't believe how immature you are sometimes."

Luigi laughed too. "I can. If you had known him when he was alive, you would come to expect this. We _should_ get going though..."

Peasley groaned. "Oh, must we?" he asked, wrapping one arm around Luigi. He pulled himself closer to him.

"Yes **,** " Luigi said, and kissed him on the cheek.

After more gentle arguments, Luigi finally managed to get Peasley up and to the airport. He kissed his love goodbye at the airport and promised to write him plenty of letters and visit soon. It was bittersweet, but he was glad for the time he had spent with him.

After he and Dimentio returned to his home, Luigi sighed and sat down. "Well, that was nice," he said.

"Yes, I bet it was **,** " Dimentio muttered sharply. With a sudden change of tone, he said **,** "You know, it's only a month until I come back. From the dead, I mean."

Luigi's eyes widened. "Has it really been two months already?" He leaned the chair back and whistled. "Wow."

"Well, time does indeed fly when you're in a coma **,** " Dimentio joked.

Luigi rolled his eyes. "You know, they say people change… But you haven't changed at all." Dimentio smiled, but Luigi could see some kind of hurt in his eyes. "I-I meant that in a good way! I mean, when you're not trying to kill somebody, you can be really charming. Hell, even when you are…"

"It's fine. You haven't hurt my feelings **,** " Dimentio assured.

 _Liar **,**_ Luigi thought. "Are you sure?" he asked instead.

"Of course **,** " Dimentio said.

"You know what?" Luigi asked. "I think, when you come back, you won't even try to kill me. Am I wrong in assuming that?"

Dimentio laughed with real humor. "No, not at all."

* * *

The next month dragged by like a dying animal. Luigi became more and more anxious about Mario. Not only concerning his brother's safety, but how he would react to Dimentio. He knew it wouldn't be good. He hoped his brother would come home before Dimentio came back, so he could at least have a chance to explain what was happening. However, as time went by, that became less and less likely.

As the final week began, nerves gnawed at Luigi's stomach. _What will he think_? he kept demanding to himself. He couldn't think of a time he was more nervous. Mario wasn't a naturally aggressive guy, but when it came to protecting the people he loved, he could kill. Obviously, he would see Dimentio as a threat in an instant. He hoped to high Heaven (high Overthere? Did that place even count as Heaven?) he would be able to stop any violence.

"Stop being so nervous **,** " Dimentio said at one point. "You're making me nervous."

"You think I can help it?!" Luigi snapped. He sighed and covered his face in his hands. "God, won't he get here already?"

"Listen, if he really does love and trust you, he'll be fine with it- me **,** " Dimentio said calmly.

Luigi nodded. "That's right. You're right." He pulled his face out of his hands. "Okay, I'll try to stop being so worried."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Then Luigi asked, "Hey, how come sometimes I can touch you and sometimes I can't?"

"…I believe that I have to be expecting it **,** " Dimentio said. "It takes a bit of effort to take on a physical form as a ghost, otherwise I'm practically nothing. So, if I don't know I'm about to be touched, why would I prepare for it?" He shrugged. "That's what I think."

Luigi considered this, then nodded.

* * *

Finally, it was the day that Dimentio was supposed to "come back".

"So, any minute now?" Luigi asked, sitting at the table again.

"Yes, it could happen at any time **,** " Dimentio agreed. "Unless, of course, Queen Jaydes has decided that I've broken our agreement and takes me back to the Underwhere for eternal torture." He said that with utter calmness.

"Oh. Huh **,** " Luigi said.

Luigi heard the door open behind him. He whipped his head around and saw his brother walk through the door. Forgetting about Dimentio completely for a moment, he jumped out of his chair and exclaimed, "Mario, you're home!" Then, he remembered his situation and his stomach sank. He tried to conceal his anxiety.

Mario smiled wearily. He was bruised and obviously tired, and he still held his trusted hammer in his hand. Luigi, noticing this, refrained from tightly hugging his brother. Instead he asked, "How was it?"

Mario shrugged and said nothing, as per usual. "Well, you'll have to tell me all about it when you feel ready **,** " Luigi said.

"Excuse my interruption, but don't we have more _pressing_ matters to discuss?" Dimentio intejected. Mario didn't seem to hear him.

Luigi took a deep, nervous breath. "Hey, Mario, I need to tell you someth-"

He was interrupted by the sound of an explosion and blinding light. When he looked in the direction of the light and sound, he saw a large, floating ball of blue light. The blue faded into purple, yellow, white, and black, and became a solid form. A face that Luigi had been seeing in monochromatic blue for three months: Dimentio!

" _Ahahahahahaha_!" Dimentio cackled. "Finally, I have physical form again! Oh, how long I have awaited this beautiful moment!" he exclaimed, in a villainous way. _He certainly knows how to make an entrance,_ Luigi thought.

Mario raised his hammer to strike, all his weariness replaced with rage. Luigi jumped in the way and stopped the blow with his hands. "Woah, woah woah! Let's take it easy, both of you!" he said, trying not to show the sudden panic in his voice. "Mario, I can explain this, I swear I can, if you just…put the hammer down."

Mario gave him a suspicious look, but lowered the hammer. "Alright, let me explain…" Luigi told everything that happened, from when Dimentio arrived as a ghost to the current day, except for when he was in a coma. Dimentio took over that part.

When he finished, Mario stared at the two of them. "So, how do I know this isn't some scheme that Dimentio came up with and brainwashed you to believe?"

"You can talk?" Dimentio asked. When he received a look from both brothers that said 'Of course. You didn't know that?', he defensively responded, "Well, whenever I asked him something before, someone else spoke for him."

Luigi shook his head. "Mario, can't you trust my judgement? I mean, I know he's done bad things in the past, but you've accepted people like him before! I remember you telling me about Vivian. And O' **C** hunks, and Mimi, too! They all have tried to kill you, but you're fine with them now. Why can't we give Dimentio a second chance?"

Mario considered it. Luigi could see the conflict behind his eyes. Begrudgingly, he nodded.

Dimentio jumped into the air with joy. "Yes! I don't have to die again!" He firmly grasped Mario's hand and shook it. "Thank you, thank you very much!"

He pulled away quickly. "I won't even bother you two very much! I'll mainly be in Dimension D… Alone." He muttered the last part. "Call for me if you need me- I doubt you will, but hey, you never know when a magcian might come in handy!"

"Wait!" Luigi cried. "You're just going to leave, just like that?!"

Dimentio stopped in his revelries. "Well… I didn't figure you'd want me around…"

"Well, the occasional visit would be nice." Luigi shrugged. "Well, bye, I guess."

"Oh, definitely! Just give me a time." He laughed. "Well…" He suddenly hugged Luigi tightly. "Goodbye." He teleported away without another word.

"You seem to have made nice with him **,** " Mario commented.

"Yeah. It's weird, but I think that it's best to let things go **,** " Luigi shrugged. "You never know, he could end up being helpful, in some way."

 _And, for now, this tale is complete. For now, the characters are settled- perhaps not comfortably, just yet -and are beginning to accept their new circumstances._

 _But what of the unfinished business between Dimentio and Prince Peasley? And said magician's not yet admitted feelings? Will any mysteries about Dimentio's past_ ever _be solved?_

 _Perhaps these problems will be resolved, but something else looms in the near future: enemies old and new, double crosses made and alliances formed, and the matters of life and death. Yes, a true quest lies in wait for Luigi, and it will be unlike any other before..._

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **Thank you so much for reading! Before you ask, yes there is a sequel in the works. I wrote A Second Chance a few months before when I started posting it, so I most likely be much slower in posting the chapters to the next story. The title (unless I change my mind) will most likely be titled "To Be a Hero"! I plan to post the prologue in February. So, hold on to your hats and hearts, ladies, gentlemen and others, because this saga ain't over yet!**


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